Everything and more about gardening in Shady's SE Iowa (USA) location.

"Mattie"

Monday, November 30, 2009

Narcissus papyraceus

Regarding the word, Narcissus, **there are two derivations of the name. 1) A youth of Greek mythology called Narcissus, who, in at least one of many variations of the tale, became so obsessed with his own reflection that, as he kneeled and gazed into a pool of water, he fell into the water and drowned. In some variations, he died of starvation and thirst from sitting so long by the edge of the pool, gazing at his reflection. In both versions, the Narcissus plant first sprang from where he died. 2) The other derivation is that the plant is named after its narcotic properties (narkao, to numb in Greek).

(Not such a great photo... but you'll like the one below better!)

Narcissus papyraceus (from papyrus and aceus ; meaning paper like), commonly known as Paperwhite, is a perennial bulbous plant native to the Mediterranean region. The white flowers are borne in bunches and are strongly fragrant. It is frequently grown as a house plant, often forced to flower at Christmas.

Paperwhites are part of the Narcissus genus which is typically associated with daffodils.

**All the above information was borrowed from Wikipedia.

My parents treated me with this Paperwhite Narcissus for Thanksgiving.

It's very fragrant - as fragrant as it is beautiful.

As long as Mr. Shady stays out of the dining room, he'll be just fine. Otherwise he sneezes!

I have always loved the appearance of these flowers, but the overwhelming scent is just too much for me. I once made the mistake of planting the bulbs in a bowl in my living room. When they bloomed, I had to move them outside.

Shady ~ Bulbs should be widely available at garden centers right now. Most folks purchasing ours, invest in a number of bulbs and stagger their planting for a winter-long display, as already mentioned.

Love your pics - just beautiful! The smell? Not so much... similar, at least to my nose, to alyssum.

They are beautiful and I love the scent. I've got one blooming now, my first attempt at forcing them. I've still seen bulbs in kits for forcing at lots of places including grocery stores.Very interesting story on how they got their name.

Noelle, I was at the store today... but forgot to look for bulbs. I will try again tomorrow. You would like this too, I think. Any Spring flowering bulb would be fun! :-)

Bobbie, I understand. They really do have quite a strong scent. My "smeller" isn't as sensitive as it could be. Perhaps that's why I can tolerate them!

Deb! Leave it to you to smell alysum. ha! I've never done that and I grow it almost all the time. ha. I'll be looking for bulbs soon... I may head out of town on Saturday. We'll see.

Monica, You think a fairy would love to move in next to something like this, don't you?? ;-)

Randy, You'll have to get some paperwhites! ha. Do you not think they'd be okay if you planted them outdoors??

Hi Catherine, Yea for you! You're way ahead of me. But... generally I have to see the success of others and be reminded that I, too, might be able to do this! ha. :-) Have you shown a photo of yours, yet?

These are beautiful Shady Gardener. What a nice (and welcome) gift. I still see bulbs here to force but I didn't get any this year. I love the blooms but the scent and I don't agree. It's better to just look at yours!